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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Ask Jo! It's Talk time Tuesday~



Hello my sweet friends!
Welcome back to another Talk time Tuesday! I hope you all had  a wonderful Easter/Passover holiday! I had an amazing time with 26 other family members down at the New Jersey shore's boardwalk in Seaside Heights. It is a family tradition that we have been doing since I was a little girl. Each year it seems the family grows by leaps and bounds and it truly is a wonderful experience.

Okay so moving on,  today's question comes from Mary who wants to know, " Do you ever get overwhelmed by all the new products that come out each month from your favorite papercrafting companies? How do you decide which products to purchase? I want everything!?"

  Hello Mary!
Oh gosh, this is a question I am almost positive that every crafter can relate to! Where to start? I have several favorite companies that I follow frequently, Lawn Fawn , My Creative Time , My Favorite Things , Mama Elephant and Simon Says Stamp to name a few. When they come out with their newest products every month or two, it's extremely overwhelming!! Normally I could say that I want it all too! LOL but at the moment, I am not in a position to purchase it all and I am working on a personal commitment and goal to myself. I am trying my very best NOT to purchase anything crafty related at all. I have so much stuff that I could be Ac Moore's papercrafting section if you walked into my room HAHA! I am being serious! I own so much that I do not need anything at all, not even adhesive. I have it all. The sad part is, I barely know what I have because I don't use it or it's hidden. My goal is to start making a dent in my stash and to use what I have. Even if I have to use paper that is 5 years old, who cares? It's still new to me, it's gorgeous because I fell in love with it to begin with (which is why I purchased it), and it will still make any project I am working on look beautiful. 

I used to be worried about what people who read my blog may think if I didn't keep up with the Jones in paper crafting. I had to make sure to keep up with the "in" things, show the new stuff. Not anymore Mary. Now I am focused on saving money, using what I do have because its all gorgeous stuff, and I want to finally use the stuff that I paid so much money for in the past. I want to use my stash. I am not rich, I cannot keep up with everything new that is coming out every month. Sure there are gorgeous new products that I would love to have, but right now that is not my focus. My focus is to start reducing my enormous stash and getting my money's worth.  I do not craft for my readers, I craft for my family and with that being said, my family doesn't care if my products are 5 years old or 1 day old. They enjoy my work and that is what matters the most to me at the end of the day. But to further answer your question so that it best suits you and the many others who feel the way you do, give yourself a monthly budget for papercrafting. Let's say your budget is $75 per month. Scope out your favorite companies and although you like it all every month, pick only 1 product from each company that you MUST have. Just 1 product only. Then go ahead and purchase that 1 product from each company and stay within your budget. When the next month rolls around, if there is nothing in the new products that you really don't care for, then go back to the previous month's products and get the other product that you really would have liked to have. But always stick to your budget, don't go over! This is a great way of  practicing self-restraint, will power and staying in control. Ask yourself too, do I really NEED this product? Will I USE this product more then once? If the answer is NO, then don't buy it. I really hope this helps you Mary and the many other readers who are in the same boat! I appreciate you taking the time to write in! Let me know if you put yourself on a budget and how you do!


Well friends, that is it for today. Please write in with questions you want answered or topics you would like to see talked about during our Tuesdays together :) 

 Thanks for stopping by and until next time.... Enjoy life's blessings~




6 comments:

  1. This is perfect advice! I love the idea of using my stash more (Lord knows we all have plenty of that) and the idea of a monthly budget is perfect. It definitely help prioritize what's most important to you and what you will use most. I try really hard to keep this in mind for every purchase, but sometimes I fail. New patterned paper is definitely my weakness, but I rarely find myself having time to use it before it gets outdated like the rest. I think I need to start saying no to new paper collections that I don't have a use for immediately. :)

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  2. Great insight, Jo, and love to hear your take on this matter. A projected budget figure is the way to do it -- and if you know of a convention or special sale coming up, then start saving a bit ahead, rather than using that credit card and having to deal with it down the road. Cost comparisons are easy to do on-line these days, or sign up to get newsletters/updates, so you catch any sales. I find that I've settled into my comfort zone and know what I like to work with the best and stick to that, rather than "trying" everything. (for example, I don't like "messy", so stay away from loose glitter and embossing powder; I lose patience with expensive machines, so I stick to my Cuttlebug). Settle into your own "groove", look around your craft area, and talk yourself into using MORE of the supplies you have on hand -- they'll be happy to be used, rather than collecting dust. LOL - and happy crafting !!

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  3. Awesome post my friend!! I definitely need to use what I have instead of wanting all the new products that come along. Easier said than done, but I'm trying :) Have a great day :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  4. Great question...it is hard to not get caught up in it all. We probably all have a time or two. I try to really ask that question...do I really need it and will I use it? I have so many companies I shop with to but trying to limit myself to about 50-75 mo. with the exception of xmas or birthday, lol!
    Have a great day my friend!
    Sherrie k

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  5. What a cool segment to do. I totally agree with you about keeping up with the Joneses. I buy what I like and use what I have. Thank you so much for your kind comment on my blog. It's nice to "meet" you!

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  6. Loved your take about who we are pleasing in our crafting, Jo. This year I vowed to start using "forgotten" items in my stash, and using up things that were preciously saved at one time, and now actually going out of style. Another thing I've been doing is using old, old TOOLS. Some of them ended up being lots of fun, others showed me that it was time to move those tools into someone else's stash. My husband always tells me that collecting is part of the hobby, but I want to play more, use more, and have fun doing it, without thinking, "That new such-and-such would have been so much prettier!" Instead, I'm thinking of new techniques, and how can my old products work with those techniques? I've also noticed a "movement" among long-time paper crafters to re-explore older techniques and have fun using those old supplies in the old techniques, making the old "new" once again. Thanks for a fun thread!

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Your lovely comments always put a smile on my face! I love reading each and every one! Thank you for stopping by~
Hugs,
~Jo~